MenAgainstSexism(AT)onelist.com
is a forum for (pro)feminist men who want support,inspiration, and
educational dialogue from one another, in an attempt to foster a sense of community while
engaging in our everyday struggles to confront our place and roles in a patriarchal
society.

MenAgainstSexism@onelist.com is open to people of all genders but will primarily be focused on the processes
of men confronting sexism. This list is open to everyone, however we will not tolerate
discriminatory remarks of any kind. We recognize that discriminatory remarks are a form of
verbal abuse, and prevent abuse is one of our goals.

The moderator of MenAgainstSexism@onelist.com is a (pro)feminist man of Arab descent who believes in the freedom from
oppression of all people.

"I was a frail kid, and I got beat up a lot. I learned that if you
make...people laugh, they can't run as fast." -Sherman Alexie
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is the oldest pro-feminist men's group in the United States. Founded in 1975
with the First National Conference on Men & Masculinity, for over 25
years NOMAS has promoted the cause of gender equality and social justice for
everyone through its principles of pro-feminism, gay-affirmation,
anti-racism and enhancing men's lives.

NOMAS is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization registered in Illinois with
its national office currently located in Louisville, CO. Membership dues and
donations are tax-deductible and are used to support educational programs to
promote the NOMAS principles and the impact they can have on society.

NOMAS Divisions
In addition to its function as a pro-feminist men's group, NOMAS has two
divisions that focus on areas of particular concern to its membership.

Men & Masculinity Conferences

For 27 years NOMAS has held national conferences focued on the issues of
men and masculinity. National Men & Masculinity conferences are the
finest occasions for activists, academics, workers in mental health,
diversity, faith communities, domestic and sexual violence, and anyone
interested in gathering, organizing, and working to end all forms of
oppression and injustice and to celebrate choice, alternatives, and
possibilities.http://www.nomas.org/
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Stereotypes classify men as macho and masculine, while women are
sensitive and feminine. Several groups at Ohio University, including OU Men
Against Sexism, are challenging these issues of masculinity, sexism and
sexual violence in society.

“The ideas of masculinity that are presented in the media affect the
way men set up their behaviors,” OUMAS member Andrew Lombardi said. “It’s
very similar to how it’s done to women in the media. The way it portrays
‘correct’ body type and how it deals with issues about sexuality,
especially when they make being male relational to heterosexuality.”

For the past year, OUMAS has tried to shatter these stereotypes through
open discussions with men in Mackinnon and James residence halls.

“We wanted to provide a forum where people could discuss these issues,”
said Steve Kehnel, co-founder of OUMAS.

Lombardi said the goals of OUMAS have not yet been defined for the year
but will continue to challenge sexism and patriarchy in society. The group
plans to continue to mix community outreach with discussion during weekly
meetings, he said.

OUMAS also hopes to offer more events and discussions on campus, Kehnel
said. Although discussions may continue to focus on the social issues of
sexism and masculinity, Kehnel said he hopes to offer more events on
specific topics.

“We really want to focus on more concrete campaigns like men’s
health,” Kehnel said. “When someone says ‘men’s health’ you think
of weightlifting and exercise, but there’s more to it than that.”

Kehnel said he would like to collaborate with the student group Promoting
OU Wellness, Education and Responsibility and the Office of Health Education
and Wellness with a men’s health week. Director of health education and
wellness, Char Kopchick said she met with OUMAS about a possible
collaboration this year.

“No specific plans have been made, but our hope is that POWER and
Office of Health Education and Wellness can work with OUMAS throughout the
year,” she said.

Kehnel and a small group of other students created OUMAS more than a year
ago as a chapter of the National Organization of Men Against Sexism. Kehnel
said, after attending a NOMAS conference last summer, they decided to
organize a local chapter.

Although OUMAS is not an official chapter of NOMAS yet, Kehnel said he
plans on filing the paperwork this fall.

“We wondered why it was only one week out of the year that we actually
talk about sexual assault,” Kehnel said. “We felt we needed to talk
about men not just as perpetrators but also as allies in combating sexual
assault.”

NOMAS offers a variety of resources to its chapters including moral and
financial support, said Moshe Rozdzial, National Co-Chair of NOMAS.

According to the bylaws set by NOMAS, each chapter must have at least
five NOMAS members and must align themselves by the principles of the
national organization.

Rozdzial said each of the seven chapters can conduct their own grassroots
work as long as they adhere to the basic tenets of pro-feminism,
gay-affirmative, anti-racism and enhancing men’s live by transcending the
traditional masculine role.

Overall, Kehnel said he hopes OUMAS will inspire men and women on campus
to think more critically about issues of sexism and the male role in
society.

“We’re not experts and we don’t have any answers,” Kehnel said.
“We’re saying here are guys supporting feminism.”
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Empowering men to end all forms of violence
http://www.mmavs.org/ ?????

Mainely Men Against Violence and Sexism is here to help men help each
other: To end the violence that permeates our culture, and to support one
another in that work.

We men need to get involved in ending rape, sexual assault, and other forms
of abuse. We as men perpetrate the vast majority (95%) of the assaults, and
yet the topic is usually framed as a "Women's Issue." We want to
make it very clear that we men must get involved because we are involved. We
are perpetrators, survivors, and friends of survivors, and need to get
involved. We have grand-mothers, mothers, sisters, cousins, nieces, wives,
girlfriends, daughters, grand daughters and others who have or may become
the subject of abuse.

We think the very definition of masculinity, in our culture, is totally
out of balance. It denies that traits like love, caring, patience, and
vulnerability are just as masculine as strength and competitiveness.

We think that because our idea of masculinity is so out of balance, men
feel incomplete. Which makes us feel vulnerable, which makes us ashamed and
afraid because 'real men don't feel vulnerable.' So then we've got to cover
up those feelings, and the way we do it is the way we've been taught. And
that way is to find something to dominate so we can 'prove' that we're
'men.' And this vicious circle just keeps going.

The very way we men are taught to relate to one another is, itself,
violent. We're taught that 'being a man' means being in control and
displaying power. So from the time we're little boys on the playground,
we're always trying to outdo and show one another up. Whether that means
trying to hit each other harder while we play football during recess, or as
we grow up, bragging about how many girls we've 'scored' with, we're taught
that's the way it is, that's the way it's done, and if we do anything
different, we're promptly labeled 'wimps' and looked upon as social
outcasts.

We think, deep down, men recognize the wrongness of this attitude. It
just doesn't feel right. And more of us are finally saying so.

We've recognized the fact that the most basic social interactivity we've
been taught is violent. And we recognize that if men are going to work to
end violence, we've got to start with ourselves, and learn to relate to one
another in new ways.

The attitudes men are taught to have about women contain violence, hatred
and an underlying assumption of male superiority. By adopting these
attitudes, we have locked the door to parts of ourselves, parts of our own
humanness, and are prevented from being fully aware of who we are as men. We
remain little boys. We can't get past the childish mentality that it's okay
to harbor violence, it's okay to say, 'I'm bigger than you, I'm stronger
than you, I'm more powerful than you, and that makes me better than you.
I've got all the marbles, and I don't have to share.'

If we can't learn to share with others, and in particular, to share equal
power with women, we will never be able to share with ourselves: The door to
adulthood, and manhood, will remain closed and locked.

We men must own up to the fact that rape, domestic violence, and sexual
harassment aren't 'women's issues,' aren't problems for women to solve by
themselves: These are human issues and problems.

We hesitate to say most men don't sexually harass - sexual harassment
exists on so many levels, and is so insidiously ingrained into our behavior,
we often don't recognize it . But it's safe to say that only a small
percentage of men actually are rapists and/or abusers of their wives,
girlfriends, and children.

Even so, we men are all responsible for these problems, and we're also to
blame, because we don't speak out, as a group, against rape and against
domestic violence. And that's as bad as condoning it - We would argue that
not speaking out is condoning it.

Why are we doing this? Because we want to live in a world where we know
it's safe for everyone to live.

It's not enough to make ourselves feel safe by moving to a 'good
neighborhood.' It's not enough to make ourselves feel safe by buying a gun.
It's not enough to make ourselves feel safe by acting 'tough.'

If the world we live in isn't truly safe for everyone, then we as
individuals are not truly safe.

We're tired of hearing people blame the victims of rape and domestic
violence. We're tired of people looking for others to blame period, whether
it's the victims, the police, politicians, whoever.

Instead of looking for a scapegoat, instead of pointing the finger, why
aren't we doing more to stop making a society that makes people who
victimize? WE should know better. Sure, we can build more battered women's
shelters, start more rape crisis centers, and it's right and important that
we do. But until we start taking societal responsibility for the fact that
we are the ones who teach children to be violent, and that we are the ones
who allow our society to remain a violent one, there will still be rapists,
there will still be perpetrators of domestic violence, and there will still
be victims.

And we will still be pointing the finger at others, copping out as an
entire society so that we can ignore the problem some more.

We think the worst part is that we're continuing to raise our children in
this climate of violence, and teaching them that there's nothing wrong with
it, or that there's nothing they can do about it.

What we are teaching them is that the way to deal with violence is to
either participate or ignore it.

If we're not standing up and saying violence is wrong and it's got to
stop, our children aren't going to learn to do that themselves.

I care about my wife. I enjoy being close to her, and I don't just mean
physically or sexually. I enjoy the emotional closeness, the trust, the
sharing. The love. When I share love and trust with my wife, I open my heart
to receive love and trust from her. And we both benefit.

But I've learned that if I use verbal abuse to deal with a conflict my
wife and I have, I destroy trust and destroy the possibility of being close
to her and the possibility to share love. And then I begin to lose the
ability to share with myself. My heart begins to close. My confidence in
myself decreases. My capacity to love others diminishes. All my human
relationships suffer. And I suffer.

Men's
Resource Center of Western Massachusetts
The mission of the Men's Resource Center Of Western Massachusetts is
to support men, challenge men's violence, and develop men's leadership
in ending oppression in ourselves, our families, and our communities.

National
Organization for Men Against Sexism (NOMAS)
Arlington, MA
The National Organization for Men Against Sexism is an activist
organization of men and women supporting positive changes for men.
NOMAS advocates a perspective for enhancing men's lives that is
pro-feminist, gay-affirmative, anti-racist, and committed to justice
on a broad range of social issues including class, age, religion, and
physical abilities. We affirm that working to make this nation's
ideals of equality a reality is the finest expression of what it means
to be men.

WA The mission of Western Men Against Violence (WMAV) is to create a
campus and community free of violence, to promote relationships based
on equality and respect, to encourage positive, healthy expressions of
masculinity, and to be visible, outspoken allies for all who
experience prejudice and discrimination.

Men
United Against Sexual Assault
We are an organization of men and women on the campus of University of
Wisconsin - La Crosse that deal specifically with educating others and
ourselves about the root causes and social norms surrounding sexual
assault.

V-Day
Men
V-Day Men is the male counterpart to V-Day, a global movement to stop
violence against women and girls.